


a soft epilogue

by alinastarkou



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Mal Is A Dick, a lot of smut, aleks is a kinky yet soft boy, delinquent!aleks, let's be real this is just an excuse for modern au smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-07 18:32:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15913899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alinastarkou/pseuds/alinastarkou
Summary: When he leans in to kiss me I can smell the alcohol on his breath. I kiss him back anyways. There are drops of rain beaded in his hair and I tangle my hand in the damp locks. — alarkling high school au





	1. Chapter 1

I wake up to a tapping on my window. Even before I was fully awake I knew who it was. Why Aleksander always insisted on using the window instead of the front door I would never understand.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I go to my window and open it. Aleks gracefully slips inside, silent as a shadow.

When he leans in to kiss me I can smell the alcohol on his breath. I kiss him back anyways. There are drops of rain beaded in his hair and I tangle my hand in the damp locks.

“Where were you?” I murmur, even though I already know the answer.

“Out with Ivan,” he answers between kisses.

I try to concentrate on what I’m saying, but it’s hard when he’s kissing me like I’m the only thing in the universe, like he wants to drown in me.

“I don’t like it when you hang out with him.” I manage to protest weakly.

Aleks starts backing me up towards my bed. “I’m not here to talk about Ivan.”

I let the matter drop for now. He pulls his shirt off and we fall back into the bed together in a splay of limbs. He falls on my face, kissing me all over until I’m giggling and squirming beneath him. Then he’s pulling up my nightgown and my giggles turn into sighs and moans as he licks my nipples.

He kisses and licks and sucks for so long that I think I might come just from that. I move my hand toward my sex but Aleks pushes it away. He teases me with one finger against the seam of my sex. I can barely feel the heat of his finger through my underwear and I push myself against his hand. He chuckles at my impatience but obliges me by pushing aside my underwear.

I moan when he plays with my clit. He inserts two fingers into me and hums at how wet I am. He fingers me until I’m dripping down his hand before reaching for his pants.

He enters me slowly. I don’t know how he manages to have so much self-control. He presses deep into me and nuzzles my neck before biting down hard. I whimper then frown. That’ll bruise. Aleks loves giving me hickeys even though I find them mortally embarrassing. He seems to like the idea of marking me as his. I’ll have to have words with him about it tomorrow but for now I don’t want to ruin the moment.

He sets a slow, leisurely pace, like we have all the time in the world. Somewhere along the line I must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing I know it’s morning. Aleks is lying asleep beside me. I rub my thighs together. I feel a little sore, but sated.

I turn to look at Aleks. He must be really hungover. He usually doesn’t like to sleep in front of me. Even though we’ve been dating for nearly two years now he hates to feel that vulnerable in front of someone.

He looks younger in sleep, softer. Dark circles are still present under his eyes and I touch one of the bruises. His eyes flicker open.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” I apologize. Aleks sits up, yawning. “How do you feel?”

“Not too bad,” he says, but he winces.

“Do you remember anything about last night?” I ask accusingly.

“It’s a little blurry,” he admits. Aleks must have seen the displeasure on my face because he grins. “I’ll make it up to you.”

I sigh. “I’ll go make some coffee.”

Downstairs, Genya and David are already up. Genya is my foster sister. The Safins adopted me when I was 8. They’re kind but distant, always away on business trips, so Genya and I have the house largely to ourselves.

Genya winks at me. “So is Aleks going to be coming downstairs?”

“You heard us?” I groaned.

Genya shrugged. “David is a light sleeper.”

Genya has already made coffee and I put sugar in mine before taking two mugs upstairs. There, Aleks is sitting on the bed, blinking like a tired puppy.

He takes the coffee gratefully and we sip in silence for a few minutes.

“Come on we have to get ready for class.” I say, draining my mug.

“I’m not going.” Aleks grimaces.

I frown. “Aleks…”

“It doesn’t matter, you know I don’t need those classes.” It’s true. Despite his spotty attendance, Aleks has the highest GPA at our school.

“But I’ll miss you.” I’m whining but I hate it when Aleks skips school.

He looks at me and then sighs. “Alright,” he says.

***

Aleks spends most of the day sitting in the back of the classroom, nursing his headache. I doubt he listens to a single thing the teacher says.

He seems to be feeling better by the time school gets out and he takes me to the local bookstore. I’m leaving the shop, happy with my three purchases when I stop dead in my tracks.

Mal. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen him since we’ve broken up but everytime I see him it’s like a punch in the gut. He’s with his girlfriend Zoya, the woman he cheated on me with.

I freeze up, praying he’ll just ignore me but he’s also stopped walking. His gaze is trained behind me. 

“Alina,” he says. “How are you?”

I clutch my bag of books to my chest, like it can protect.

“Good,” I say, trying to sound neutral and unaffected. Aleks comes to stand beside me and puts an arm around my waist. I don’t want him to see that I’m still not over my ex-boyfriend.

Mal’s gaze shifts from me to Aleks and back again. Zoya is giving me an imperious look. I find myself staring at her high-heeled feet instead.

“Oretsev. Nazyalensky. How are you?” Aleks asks pleasantly.

“Good,” Mal’s voice is strained. He turns to me. “Alina can I speak with you in private?”

I start in surprise. What had brought this on?

“Anything you have to say to Alina you can say in front of me.” Aleks is still smiling but his tone is cool.

Mal opens his mouth to argue. I cut him off before he can start a fight. “No it’s okay. I’ll go with him.”

Aleks frowns at me and I can tell he’s displeased. Zoya is also scowling at Mal but I let him guide me away.

“Really? You’re really dating Morozova?” He asks as soon as we’re out of earshot.

“What’s it to you?” I ask sulkily. He has no right to be jealous after what he did.

“I heard you were dating him but I didn’t think it could be true. You know the rumours about him right?”

“They’re not true.” I snap. This was what he was like when we were dating. Always telling me what to do, how to feel. Why hadn’t I seen it earlier? “Anyways, it’s none of your business.”

I turn to leave but he grabs me by the arm. “I was your best friend for seven years, Alina. Surely that has to count for something. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“Well you don’t have to.” I try to yank my arm away but his grip is too strong.

He points to the mark on my neck. “Did he do that to you?”

I flush. “It’s called a hickey, Mal.”

“You know that if you’re ever in trouble you can turn to me right?”

I want to slap him in the face for that one but I resist the urge. He finally lets go of me and I storm away, trying to keep the tears from falling. Mal had been my everything. My first crush, my first love. I lost my virginity to him when I was 15 and he was 16 and two weeks later I caught him kissing Zoya after class.

There’s a pathetic part of me that still loves him, but I squash it down as small as I can.

I grab Aleks’s hand and drag him off leaving Zoya staring behind us. We stay silent until we get in the car.

“So what did he want?” Aleks asks as he shifts the car into gear.

“To warn me off you. As if he has any right to do that!” I try to hold on to my anger so I don’t start crying.

When I get home he follows me into the house. I don’t want him there. I want to be alone so I can have a good cry. But when I open my mouth to tell him to leave tears start coming out of my eyes. Aleks carries me to my bed and we curl up together. I sob in his arms until I fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When I wake up it’s evening. Aleks still has me in his arms and I can feel his erection pressing against me. I shift and I feel his arms tighten around me.

He kisses my ear. “You’re awake.”

I smile and roll over to give him a kiss. I feel much better after my nap and now I feel silly for getting so worked up over Mal.

“Sorry about that,” I say. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s fine. I know how you felt about Mal.” Aleks smooths my hair and kisses my forehead.

“But you’re mine now,” he murmurs against my neck.

He starts kissing my neck and undoing my shorts. He shoves my shorts and panties down leaving me in my shirt and my knee-high socks.

“These socks have been driving me crazy all day.” He pulls up my shirt and kisses my belly. I’m already panting and eager for him.

He parts my lips and licks me fully. I shudder at the feel of his hot tongue. He starts licking me in earnest, lapping at my entrance. I have a minute to worry about how I must taste to him and then he’s fucking me with his tongue and I can’t think anything at all. The feeling of his nose pressed against my clit is devastating

Suddenly he removes his tongue. I moan from the loss of sensation and lift my head to look at Aleks. “Why did you stop?”

“Tell me who you belong to.” There’s an odd tone to his voice.

Why is he asking me this when all I can think about is him? “You, I belong to you.”

Aleks licks me, teasing my entrance. “Say it again.”

“I’m yours.” I moan breathily. He seems satisfied with that because the next thing I know his tongue is back at my sex.

When I come I try to push his head away but Aleks keeps a firm grip on my hips. He laps up the gushing fluids, taking it all in. Finally he lets me go and crawls up the bed to kiss me. I reach down towards his pants to return the favor but he catches my wrist in his hand.

Confused, I look down. There’s a wet spot spreading on his jeans. I blink, startled.

“Did you…?” I can’t stop the grin from crossing my face.

Aleks shrugs but he looks embarrassed. I beam at him. 

“No, no don’t be embarrassed I think it’s great!” I gush.

I try to stop my giggling for Aleks’s sake but he looks so adorable with his pink ears and that scowl on his face. I lean in and kiss him. I can taste myself on his lips, sort of sweet and tart. It doesn’t taste like anything special to me but I suppose Aleks likes the way I taste.

I cuddle into his chest, feeling warm and loved. Mal is a distant memory. Feeling relaxed and sleepy after my orgasm, I quickly drift off.

***

By the time I wake Aleks has already gone. I sit up and stare at the wall for a while, preparing myself for another day of classes. Then I huff and get out of bed.

I text Aleks asking if he’ll be going to class but he doesn’t reply. He doesn’t show up for class that day.

Genya and I are walking back to her car when we’re accosted by Zoya. I frown, confused. Zoya never talks to us.

She points at me. “You need to come with me.”

Genya and I exchange bewildered looks before we follow Zoya out of the parking lot. She sets a brisk pace as we head towards the back of the school.

There’s a fight happening by the garbage bins. A group of people have gathered to watch, yelling and cheering. Zoya heads straight towards the commotion, pushing her way through the crowd.

When I see who the fighters are I gasp. Mal is on the ground with a bloody nose and a black eye. Aleks is standing over him, a bruise forming on his cheek. Are they fighting over me?

When Mal sees me he spits. “He just dragged me here and started beating on me!”

Aleks turns and looks at me. His eyes are cold when they meet mine.

Mal tries to get up but Aleks kicks him in the stomach and he falls down again. I wince at the impact.

When Mal tries to get up again this time Aleks lets him. He stands back, waiting. Mal lunges forward, taking a swing at him but Aleks easily steps aside. He seems confident, almost bored. Where had Aleks learned to fight?

Aleks sweeps Mal’s legs out from under him and he hits the ground. Contemptuously, he begins kicking out at the downed man. Mal curls up into a ball amid the savagery of the blows.

Zoya shakes me. “Do something!” she snaps.

I shake myself out of my stupor and run towards Aleks. I wrap my arms around his middle and I feel him stiffen.

The crowd has gone quiet. I look up at Aleks. His eyes still have that cold expression. He looks dangerous with that bruise on his face and blood on his knuckles but if anything it just makes him more attractive, like a dark prince. I feel a shiver go down my back, a mixture of fear and something else.

Aleks cups my face in his hands. “Please. Have mercy.” I pitch my voice low so the crowd can’t hear.

“Mercy,” he says slowly, as if tasting the word on his tongue. “I could be merciful.”

He kisses me then, softly, tenderly. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Zoya helping Mal up. There’s even more blood on his face and if his nose wasn’t broken before it is now.

We walk away hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

We spend the car ride home in silence. Aleks seems tense. I am a little surprised when I see that he’s taking me to his house. I’ve only been there a couple times before. He and his mother have never had a good relationship. Baghra has always been a harsh, demanding mother and Aleks a cold, distant son. Together they’re like oil and vinegar.

Inside it’s as hot as a furnace. Sweat beads down my forehead as Aleks leads me through the house. In his room everything is black. He would never admit it but Aleks is very dedicated to his aesthetic.

Aleks locks the door behind him and turns on the air conditioner. I turn to face him. “Aleks we need to talk about what you did…” 

Before I can finish my thought he kisses me. He presses himself against me and I can feel his erection straining against his jeans.

His kiss is hot and hungry, like he wants to devour me whole. All my thoughts scatter to the wind and I lose myself in the kiss for a moment. When Aleks slips a hand under my shirt I come to my senses.

I break away, gasping for air. Aleks lets me go but I can tell he’s not pleased about it. I touch the bruise on his cheek. “Let’s put something on that.”

I don’t find any ice in the kitchen so I go to the bathroom and wet a towel. Aleks is sitting on the bed waiting for me. He looks impatient and hungry.

I close the door behind me and walk over to Aleks. Carefully, I wipe the blood off his knuckles. Not sure what I’m doing exactly, I dab the wet towel against his bruised cheek.

He sits still for me for a few moments before grabbing my towel and tossing it on the bedstand. “All better,” he smiles.

Then he’s leaning up to kiss me and before I know it I’m flat on my back on the bed and he’s looming over me with a predatory look in his eye. He smothers me with his kiss and suddenly I can’t see, taste, feel anything but him.

I feel myself growing wet from the heat of his kiss, the feel of his hard body against me. When he finally lets me have a second for air I blurt out “Wait!”

Aleks freezes and for a second I feel like he’s going to ignore me but then he sits back with a cold expression on his face. “What?” he asks.

I can tell he’s upset and I bite my lower lip nervously. His eyes flicker to my mouth and darken.

I hesitate before making a decision. “Nothing,” I say with a smile.

I reach for the clasp of his jeans. Aleks’s eyes follow my every movement. Slowly, I undo his belt buckle and unbutton his jeans. Keeping eye contact, I pull him out of his pants.

Even now, seeing him takes my breath away. I haven’t had much experience, but he’s definitely bigger than Mal, and thicker too.

I take him in my hand and bring him to my mouth. I feel that familiar mix of fear and excitement. I eagerly wrap my mouth around him, humming around his girth.

Aleks moans as I take him deep. He hits the back of my throat and I bob my head gently.

Growling, Aleks holds my head still as he thrusts savagely into my throat several times. I moan as I’m forced to take his onslaught. Suddenly he stiffens. I freeze, wondering if I did something wrong.

“Wait,” he rasps. “I want to be inside you when I come.”

“You are inside me,” I mumble around his dick but I don’t think he hears me.

Slowly, he lifts me off his dick. I give him a good suck before he pulls me away. When I look up, his teeth are gritted and he’s sweating with the exertion.

I take a deep breath and cough a couple times. Aleks looks guilty. “Sorry,” he says.

“It’s okay.” I reply. “I liked it.”

Tenderly, he kisses the base of my throat and nuzzles my neck. My breath catches. He can go from dangerous to sweet in a second.

Then his kisses take on a new urgency. He pulls off the rest of our clothes and I lie back. His dick looks engorged and red, like it’s hungry for me too.

I’m wet enough that he can enter me quickly. I love the feeling of his skin against me. He begins to move and his movements are hard and brutal. I try to meet his thrusts as he pistons into me mercilessly but he’s holding my hips down so I can’t move. Instead, I wrap my arms around his neck, trying to bring him closer. I kiss and suck on his neck, gently biting the skin, and he rewards me by growling in my ear.

He comes in a rush inside me. I feel his warmth spreading through me and I squirm. In the silence that follows I hear a noise inside the house and we both freeze.

Baghra, I think. I hope to God it’s a burglar instead.

I jump up, running to lock the door as Aleks hurriedly gets dressed. He tosses me one of his oversized t-shirts and I pull it on.

There’s a knock at the door and the knob rattles. “Boy?” she asks.

Aleks opens a window and I sit down on the bed, smoothing the shirt over my lap. The doorknob is still rattling.

With a look at me, Aleks goes and unlocks the door. Baghra appears, looking just as frightening as always. She peers at the two of us suspiciously.

Despite his messy hair, Aleks looks cool and unruffled but I must be a mess. I can still feel the warmth of him inside me, trickling down my leg, and I try not to react.

“Hello Baghra.” I say as pleasantly as I can, forcing a smile on my face. She must know what was just going on.

Baghra glares at us both, then sighs. “I hope you’re using protection.”

I flush bright red but Aleks smoothly replies “She’s on birth control.”

Baghra shakes her head but says nothing else. With another threatening glare, she turns and leaves. When the door closes behind her I slump down, exhausted.

Aleks turns to me with a slight smile on his face and I glower at him. “That was horrible.” I say.

Aleks shrugs. “Baghra likes you. She wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Really?” I ask, bewildered. If Baghra likes me then she certainly doesn’t act like it.

My sex throbs and all thoughts of Baghra fly out of my head. I bite my lip and look up at Aleks. I don’t want to ask but…

Aleks is grinning now. He seems more relaxed after his orgasm, more in control. This feels intensely unfair.

He crawls up the bed and peels his shirt off me. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

Then he licks me until I come.

***

In the post-coital bliss that follows I’m afraid to ruin the mood but I bring it up anyways. “What was that today?”

“What was what?”

I give him a look. “With Mal.”

“Oh,” he shrugged. “He made you cry,” he said as if that explained everything.

“You can’t just beat up everyone who makes me cry.” I protest. Aleks gives me a look that seems to say Actually, yes, I can.

There’s silence for a few moments. “You scared me today.” I admitted in a small voice.

Aleks tilts my head up so I’m looking at him. “Listen to me. I would never hurt you.”

“But you would hurt Mal.”

Aleks drops his hand and I look down. “I don’t regret it,” he says in a harsh voice.

“What if Mal reports this to the police and you get arrested? You’ll never get into Ivy League with a police record.”

Aleks shrugs. “It’s not a problem. School isn’t important to me.”

I swallow. “Promise me you’ll never do that again.” I’m practically begging.

“I can’t,” he says. He turns to me, his grey eyes blazing with a cold fire. “There’s a darkness in me, Alina.”

There was. I’d seen it before, but never like this.

“It was part of what drew you to me, just like I was drawn to the light in you.” I remember when we first met, the way he had seemed lonely even when surrounded by people. I had wanted to make him laugh, smile.

There’s a silence before he says, “Are you still afraid?”

I nod. A part of me would always be afraid of this side of him, even while I was attracted to it.

A small smile curves his lips. “Good. It scares me too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Mal is kind of OOC in this. I mean if you're reading this you probably don't like Mal anyways but just as a warning.

I dread seeing Mal again but I know I have to. I owe him this much. I knock on the door to his apartment that he shares with his roommates Mikhael and Dubrov. He had moved out of his foster home as soon as he turned 18.

Mal greets me at the door. I’m relieved to see his roommates aren’t home. His face is a mass of bruises and he holds himself gingerly, as if he has a broken rib.

He sits down heavily with a bottle of kvas. “What do you want, Alina?”

“How are you?” I ask tentatively. It’s a stupid question and I cringe.

“I’ve been better. You here on behalf of your boyfriend?” he asks so cruelly I flinch.

“I’m sorry about what happened.” I whisper, unable to look him in the eye.

“But you’re staying with him. Alina—“ Mal swipes a hand over his face. “I missed you.”

“What?” I ask, stunned.

“I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.” He’s approaching me, his voice earnest. I back up until I hit the wall.

“What—What about Zoya?” I ask, breathless.

Mal shakes his head. “She’s not important to me. You are. I’ll leave her.”

He’s hovering over me, his mouth lowering towards mine and the worst part is a part of my treacherous heart wants him to kiss me. A part of me wants to forget everything and run away with him. But I’m not that mousy girl whose entire world revolved around Mal anymore. Instead, I shimmy down the wall and out of his embrace.

“I gave you everything, Mal. I loved you. I was prepared to stay with you forever and that wasn’t enough for you.” I shake my head. Despite myself I can feel traitorous tears springing to my eyes. “You just want me because someone else has what you once did.”

“Don’t tell me we don’t belong together,” he approaches me again but I slink away from him.

I back up towards the door. “This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

Mal grabs my arms in a bruising grip. “Let me go.” I protest.

Mal stares into my eyes, searching for something in my gaze as I pull against his grasp. It’s only when my eyes start filling with tears again that he lets me go.

I run out the door as fast as I can.

***

I avoid Aleks for the next few days, guilty that I had even thought about kissing Mal. He leaves me dozens of voice mails and messages before ambushing me outside my house.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he hisses, grabbing my arm. I shake him off and continue walking.

“Nothing I just…” I trail off uncertainly.

Aleks tilts my head up to look him in the eye. His gaze is piercing and I feel guilty all over again.

“I went to see Mal.” I admit.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks calmly. I can’t quite read the expression on his face but he doesn’t seem angry and I’m relieved.

“I know I should’ve I just—“ I shake my head, frustrated tears springing to my eyes. “It’s so stupid I mean I love you but when it comes to Mal I just…” Too late I realize what I’ve said and clasp my hands over my mouth.

“You love me.” Aleks says as if I just said the sky was green or fire was cold. He cradles my head in his hands, gently, as if I am a delicate thing. “You love me,” he repeats.

I stare at him, my gaze unwavering. Now that I’ve said it out loud I realize it’s true with a rush of surety. I feel as if I’ve let out something hidden deep inside me. I feel powerful and confident, miles away from the meek little girl who loved Mal.

Aleks doesn’t say anything but all the answer I need is in his eyes. I know it’ll take time for him to be able to say those words and I’m willing to wait for him.

I reach up and kiss him, just a brush of my lips against his. When I lean back, there’s a soft smile on his lips, like he doesn’t even realize it’s there.

That night he loves me slow and tender, then hard and rough until I’m begging him for relief. I lose track somewhere around my fifth orgasm and I’m so sensitive his dick dragging against my channel hurts. And after he comes he goes down on me until my eyes roll back in my head and I’m begging him to let me go, that I can’t take anymore, that I’m too sensitive. Finally, he does and I curl up into a ball, shivering, overwhelmed with the intensity of it. My sex is tingling and I know I’ll be limping in the morning.

We wake up tangled together and I realize with a rush of emotion I want a lifetime of this, of waking up to him next to me.


End file.
